This is the third version of this story I've seen so far. (First being the Taiwanese and second the Korean.) I can't say that I have a favorite as each version has things I like and things I don't, but I think I can say that this is probably the easiest version of the three to get through. The Taiwanese version was my first ever drama, and it holds a very special place in my heart, but I absolutely cannot get myself through it again. (And I tried.) It's biggest flaw is it drags the main conflict out (the male lead trying to have his cake and eat it too) far longer than necessary, and I'm enough of a drama veteran now to not put up with that anymore if I don't want to. And while the Korean version is a much lighter, easier version to watch than the Taiwanese, it still pulls a trope or two at some really unnecessary moments (amnesia is thy name) that pulled down the middle part quite unfairly (I think it might have received an extension so they were trying to fill time). This version, however, while flawed in it's own right (and I will get to that in a moment), is still an easier viewing experience, and the main reason for that is that this drama just gets to the damn point.

The first couple episodes serve as a nice little diversion from the source material. It's still the same basic story, but they tone down some of the more outlandish aspects and make how the two leads end up meeting and 'being' together much more believable. (As believable as it can be with this sort of set up.) Of course, once you're 3 or 4 episodes in, it becomes a true remake, losing some of that believability as you go along, but I also went in knowing what sort of story this was and wanting some of that unbelievability, so that never bothered me.

The only part of the drama that had me scratching my head is the way the writers chose to deal with the abortion consent form in the final ep. I understand Aya deciding to leave after seeing it and being told it's from him and thinking about all she's been through and just not wanting to do it anymore. It makes absolute sense for her to want to heal and move on and become a braver, more confident version of herself. I even understand Kei letting her go without trying to convince her to stay or offering any sort of apology, because he feels guilty over how he's treated her and knows he has no right to hold her back or maybe even speak on his behalf. He didn't give her that form, but he didn't exactly give her much reason to believe he wouldn't have. What I don't understood is him letting her go without clearing up the misunderstanding about the form. I get feeling like you've hurt someone so much that you have no right to say or do anything anymore, but letting them continue to think you did something that horrendous to them when you didn't makes no sense. Take ownership for your choices, but don't take ownership of someone else's.

And this is where we come to the ultimate flaw of this version. The pacing is way too fast. All of the key moments are done the right way. The accidental 'trist' on the boat, stopping the abortion, Kei and Anna Actually breaking up, the terrible accident, crafting a logical misunderstanding through which the leads are pushed apart, it's all done as it should be. It's just building up these characters and their relationships with each other and filling in all of the gaps In-Between all of the key moments that is not done well. Not really done much at all, in fact. When it's all said and done, I genuinely liked the leads together, and I wanted them to fall for each other, even believed that they had by the end. But we got to see so very little of them actually falling and getting to know one another and having those little moments, and that really hampered the story. I could quibble some more over the issues around the abortion form, but it's this right here that ultimately lowers this versions rating for me. If there had been more build up to their relationship, I could have completely forgiven the writing misstep around the form, but there wasn't, so I can't.

This is very much the most fluff, lighthearted version of this story (minus possibly the Thai version, which I have not seen and can not speak on) mainly due to it's pacing, so if you want to check out this story but don't want a lot of angst, then this is definitely the version for you (followed by the Korean version). It was apparently quite popular in Japan, and I can see why.

Oh, and for anyone reading who's confused by the ending and wondering why I haven't addressed it in this review and if there's going to be a second season to finish the story, I didn't address it because I got caught up in crafting all of my points and forgot to even mention the strangely open-ended ending, but for your answer as to whether there will be a second season, it seems likely there will be as this was advertised in Japan as only telling half of the story, and it has apparently been quite popular, popular enough to warrant another season to tie everything up.

And now any of you who are reading this review in the distant future will most likely be very confused because there will probably already be a second season out at that point and everyone will have forgotten that us western drama viewers had no idea why this drama ended the way it did and now I'm rambling for no reason so have a nice life and thanks for all the fish.

Links to my reviews for the other versions:

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22004

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/274737